The NFL awarded compensatory draft picks Wednesday and, like every year, the Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t get any.
While the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams led the way with four new picks each in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Jaguars haven’t been awarded an extra selection since they received a sixth-round pick in 2010.
The reason is pretty simple: Jacksonville’s recent draft history has been atrocious.
Compensatory picks are awarded to teams that suffer net losses in free agency, and the reality is that the Jaguars haven’t had many departing players good enough to cash in as free agents elsewhere. When there’s been exceptions to that norm, Jacksonville has negated the losses by spending big in free agency to fill a roster hampered by — you guessed it — bad drafting.
This offseason looks like it’ll be much different.
Rather than hunting for players on the open market, the Jaguars have focused their efforts on retaining their own. In recent weeks the team has re-signed C.J. Beathard and JaMycal Hasty, and it used the franchise tag to keep Evan Engram.
While there’s a chance the Jaguars retain more of their players before free agency begins next week, they’ve also run into a problem reserved for good teams. There’s too many good players to keep and not enough money to go around.
Starting right tackle Jawaan Taylor appears headed for the open market, and he’s currently set to be joined in free agency by Arden Key, Dawuane Smoot, and Tre Herndon, among others.
It’s possible the Jaguars sign a player or two on the market, but they won’t be going after the big fish. And they certainly can’t afford to give someone the kind of money that Taylor appears set to receive.
Jacksonville’s remarkable compensatory-less streak will likely end with at least one pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and that’s a sign that things are changing in Duval.
